Loading...Elizabeth Walker felt the tension drain from her body as she settled into the wrought iron deck chair. She was on the patio at Sven’s, an upscale bistro overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Situated far enough away from Fisherman’s Wharf to escape the brunt of tourist traffic, the dining was upscale but still casual. She wasn’t really dressed for dining out, but she had just finished moving the last of her belongings into her new apartment and wanted to treat herself.
When her waitress arrived, Beth gave her a long, measuring look. She was tall, far too pale for a Californian, with more piercings than Beth cared to count, most of the holes empty now, save for two ear rings and an eyebrow barbell. Goth girl. If she was like the others Beth had known, she was also not happy to have to be working.
“What would you like?”
“Just the house salad and water,” Beth replied. The girl was cute, but way too young and she wasn’t sending out any of the right vibes anyway. Still, Beth watched her ass as she walked away. What was the point in coming to California if not to girl watch?
She turned her gaze from the girl’s shapely behind to the panoramic view of the bay. It was such a dazzling shade of blue, so unlike the gray and windswept Atlantic. Beth hoped all the changes this move brought were as pleasant. Staring out over the rail, she followed the ferry making its way to Alcatraz. This brought her eyes to rest upon a woman sitting at a table by the rail. She was alone, but obviously expecting someone, as there were two plates at the table and the spare chair had not been pulled over by other customers.
Beth cocked her head and felt a faint stirring of memory. The ferry momentarily forgotten, she concentrated on the woman. She was tall and muscular, almost as muscular as a man, and her body was shown off by the short shorts and royal blue bikini top she wore. Her arms bulged and the muscles of her back were so well defined that Beth could see them moving beneath her sun bronzed skin as she lifted her drink to her lips. Her hair was fire engine red and close cropped, not exactly in a buzz cut, but very short. Her legs were even more impressive than her arms and Beth imagined she was a swimmer of some sort, to have such finely developed muscles in her thighs and calves.
The woman seemed to feel eyes upon her and turned quickly. Her deep green eyes caught Beth’s brown eyes and held them for a second. Beth blushed slightly, but didn’t turn away. The woman smiled tentatively before turning back to the bay. Beth didn’t even notice. The woman’s face was hauntingly familiar, from the high forehead and cheekbones, to the thin lips and aquiline nose, every detail was there. The moment she saw the woman’s face a single name flashed in her head and with it came a collage of memories that simply wouldn’t be denied.
Chauncy Phillps.
That single name transported her back, back across thousands of miles and twenty odd years to a fateful summer in Savannah. Beth had been eight and her brother Rudy ten. They both sat and watched as the huge moving van pulled into the old Peterson place down the street. Large black men sweated and groaned as they moved the heavy furniture in the sweltering humidity. They often stopped to wipe their heads with white handkerchiefs and curse the glaring sun. She had been far too young to appreciate what they were going through then. Men could do anything. Like her father they were all super big, super strong and nothing daunted them. She and her brother weren’t watching the men so much as they were waiting for the family to arrive, hoping that they would get some new playmates.
When the men and the van had left, a beat up old station wagon pulled into the drive and Beth got her first look at Chauncy. She was ten at the time, wearing faded blue jeans, a washed out blue shirt, high top converse sneakers and a blue ball cap with a big C on the front. She had a sling shot in her back pocket, way too many freckles and a wad of chewing gum that pushed her cheek out and made her look like a big league ball player with his cud of tobacco.
Beth’s mother made her and Rudy go over and introduce themselves. Rudy did all the talking, with Beth hiding behind him and only daring to peek out once or twice. The girl’s green eyes unnerved her and her demeanor was aggressive, almost pugnacious and totally unlike what Beth had been taught little girls should be like.
Even Rudy was a little put out by her, but soon the whole neighborhood would know her. The neighborhood’s first tomboy.
“Would you like a dressing with that? I’m sorry I forgot to ask,” the waitress asked as she placed Beth’s salad in front of her.
“No thank you, but I could use a twist of lemon for my water.”
Beth’s mind was flying back down rarely traveled roads of memory before the girl even nodded and moved a small bowl with sliced lemon from the table behind Beth. Another day, another world it seemed. Summer again, the smell of red dirt, new mown grass, hot dogs and pretzels. She sat in the bleachers next to her dad. Rudy stood at the ready, in a semi crouch, popping his fist into his glove. Her parents, to their dying day, were always so proud of how their daughter had supported her brother. Only she knew that her eyes almost never strayed to Rudy, they stayed on her hero.
On the mound, Chauncy was mowing them down. Her fastball was untouchable and her older brother had taught her how to throw a curve. At this level, no one could hit it. She looked so strange in the mustard yellow jersey with Al’s Catfish House stenciled across her budding chest. Her trademark Cubs hat was absent, but her face was set in a scowl and the ever present wad of gum puffed out her cheek. The only girl on the field, she dominated much like her favorite pitcher, Fergie Jenkins had. A hopelessly devoted Cubs fan, she avenged each defeat of her favorite team when she took the mound in the neighborhood’s little league park. All-state, undefeated, first team all star, and one small, shy girl’s hero.
Another memory, this one cherished and replayed so many times it had become somewhat surreal. The bus stop up the road from her subdivision. There had been three of them, older boys, not mean yet but unable to fathom how much their words hurt. Amazing how taunts like brace face and four eyes could wound back then. She was only eleven and dealing with her budding body, glasses and braces. She was at that awkward stage where nothing was easy or comfortable and even her own body seemed alien. One of them shoved her and she fell, her books going everywhere.
Their laughter was cut short by a squeal of pain and she looked up through her tears to see why. Chauncy was there, a whirling dervish, delivering punches and kicks as well as curses that would make a sailor blush. It was over in moments, the surprise onset and ferocity were too much for her tormentors. Chauncy didn’t hit like a girl nor did she fight fair. She watched them all run away with a scowl on her face, before she turned to Beth and smiled.
She picked up Beth’s books, then put a strong arm around her shoulders and walked her home. Beth never forgot that walk. It was the one time in her adolescence that she felt graceful and comfortable. The one time the world seemed right.
A cool breeze off the water pulled her from her memories. Beth nibbled at her salad, but for some reason she was no longer hungry. The fading sun colored the water fantastic shades of red, yellow and orange. As she watched the waves twinkling she found herself slipping back into memory, back to the one she didn’t want to recall.
Her sweet sixteen. She was going out with John, her boyfriend and some of his friends. They were all out in front of her house, arguing about which hangout to go to when Chauncy pulled up in her Vette. It was black, with tinted windows and black rims. Cars were big then and Chauncy’s was the fastest in the area. She won a lot of races and a lot of money, but things were different now. She was no longer fighting for respect among the guys, she was fighting for the attention of the cute girls. Savannah back then was far too traditional for that. Beth had seen little of her lately and due to her close friendship, she had been spared the rumors that were going around about her best friend. She would hear them all after this night.
She ran up to the car excitedly and Chauncy rolled down the window. Her face was gaunt and her eyes wild, but there was a strange calm about her that made Beth feel slightly uneasy.
“Hey Bets, you look great in that dress,” she said by way of greeting.
“I swear, you’re the only one that still calls me that, what ya up to?”
“I’m getting out of this berg. Heading up to New York City, gonna crash with some friends till I get on my feet.”
The words had stunned her. She knew Chauncy was done with school, but no one ever left town and it was inconceivable that she was about to lose her best friend.
“Anyway, I just wanted to say goodbye…I know you don’t need to hear this, but I’ve had a crush on you forever,” the lithe girl said.
How could she respond to that? The answer would take a life time. Even as the memory played through her head she cursed the shyness and shock that had held her speechless. Chauncy took a long drag on her cigarette, tossed it past Beth to the street and sighed heavily. John walked up and put a possessive arm around Beth. “Don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t the silent treatment. Have a nice life Bets,” she said before rolling up the window and driving away.
“Would you like some coffee or something?” The waitress asked softly.
Beth brushed the tears from her eyes before looking up.
“No, nothing thank you,” she managed.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Could I get my check please?”
“Sure,” the girl said and walked back into the restaurant. When she returned Beth paid and left a large tip. She was slightly embarrassed by her tears and started to leave, but her eyes were drawn again to the woman at the rail. She still sat in her chair, alone and looking forlorn. On impulse Beth made her way over.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?” The woman said, turning quickly.
“I know this sounds very strange, but I wanted to thank you,” Beth began awkwardly.
“For what?”
“You reminded me of someone I knew long ago and have brought back some memories that I haven’t thought about in quite some time.”
“Not happy memories apparently,” the woman observed.
“Not all of them, but more happy than sad. Anyway, I don’t know why I had to say thank you, but I did. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
“It’s no bother. Perhaps I should thank you. I was expecting someone and apparently I’ve been stood up. I wasn’t thinking very good thoughts when you said hi,” the woman said.
“I’m sorry,” Beth said automatically.
“No need to be. I’m Margaret, Margaret Chambliss, pleased to meet you,” she said, extending her hand.
“Elza, Elza Walker,” Beth responded.
“Would you care to have a seat? It’s my birthday and I was going to order one of the dessert specials, but they’re really meant for two.”
“I’d be delighted,” Beth responded, surprising herself.
The woman nodded slightly to a waitress who seemed to be hovering nearby, just waiting for a signal from her. Beth looked out at the bay and so did her tablemate. The silence was deep, both lost in their thoughts, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. In a strange way, Beth felt she knew this woman.
The double chocolate and fudge brownie dessert came a few moments later. Beth took small bites, trying not to totally blow her diet in one sitting. Margaret ate heartily, finally tossing her spoon into the empty glass dish with a loud clink.
“Well, I must be going. Thanks for the company,” the tall redhead said as she rose and took her jacket off the back of her chair. Beth rose too, feeling the chill in the wind off the water and wishing she had brought her own coat. Margaret exchanged friendly words with both the cook and woman at the counter before she and Beth parted ways at the front door. Beth caught a ride on the trolley. She was so deep in thought that she almost missed her stop.
Back in her apartment, Beth began opening boxes and arranging things. The process was slow and haphazard, she had packed hurriedly, and had not remembered to label the boxes. On a whim she began digging through the book boxes, hoping to locate the one with her yearbooks in it. By the time she opened the fifth box she was beginning to fear she hadn’t packed them. When she opened the last book box, the one on the top was her Sophomore yearbook and Beth breathed a sigh of relief. She took it out, pushed aside a pile of clothing to make room on her small sofa and sat down.
The cover was black, with gold lettering down the spine. The Herald, the letters proclaimed. She opened it and smiled as she read the many messages scrawled there by her schoolmates. Some made her laugh, others made her tear up. A few were signed by people she only vaguely remembered. Giving in to the wave of nostalgia, she opened the book to the section with sophomores and found her own picture. The grainy black and white photo showed a frail girl, with long black hair, braces and glasses.
“So long ago,” she whispered to herself.
She flipped to the section with the seniors and turned to the second page, but Chauncy’s picture wasn’t among those on the page. She started to flip to the P’s, but realized she had remembered correctly and the seniors were listed by first name rather than last. The pictures of the seniors were larger, and below each was a quote. She scanned the C’s again, Carmen B. Jacobs, Chad F. Rivers, Christine D. Berkman, Claudia C. Windtree, Crystal M. Thorpe.
“That’s strange, I’m sure she would have been a Sen…”
Beth froze for a long, drawn out moment and then nearly ripped the pages out as she tuned to the page with the M’s. She dropped the yearbook in shock and sat there a moment, utterly dumbfounded. Beth then snatched the yearbook up and flipped back to the page. It was still there, third from the left.
Margaret C. Phillips.
“How could I have been so stupid!” She exclaimed as she grabbed her coat and ran out the door.
***
The Bistro was closing up for the night by the time Beth got back. She didn’t know what she was doing, but she hoped someone at the place would know where she could find Chauncy, if it was really her and not some demonically cruel coincidence. She had seemed friendly with some of the staff and Beth was hoping against hope. It was a chance in a million, but so was finding Chauncy in San Francisco.
As she walked into the building the heavyset woman behind the register cocked her head and smiled.
“Back so soon? Forget something?”
“No,” Beth began uncertainly, “I was wondering if anyone here knew who the woman I had dessert with is or where I might find her? I tried the phone book, but she isn’t listed.”
“You mean you don’t know?” The woman asked, arching an eyebrow.
“No,” Beth replied, blushing and lowering her eyes.
“Well, I know her as a customer, but I don’t think that’s what you want. Can you wait just a moment?”
“Of course.”
The woman went back to the back and soon a thick woman with short black hair and tattoos on both arms came out.
“You the one looking for Mags?” She asked in a thick Brooklyn accent.
“Mags?” Beth stammered.
“Yeah, Mags Chambliss or Chamblee, if you want to get all fancy.”
“Yes, I’m looking for her.”
“Why?” The woman asked, her eyes sizing Beth up with an almost knowing glance.
“I think I knew her when I was a child,” Beth replied, feeling very uncomfortable under the woman’s scrutiny.
“Doubt it, she ain’t from around here.”
“I was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia.”
“Don’t say? Well, Mags is from down south somewhere. Can’t tell it by her accent, but she had a bad hick drawl when she first got to the City.”
“New York City?”
“Yeah, where else? But you had dessert with her, why didn’t you say something then?” The woman asked. Her tone was hard, but not hostile. Beth took a deep breath.
“I didn’t know her as Margaret. She was Chauncy. And her last name was Phillips back then, not Chambliss. I’m recently divorced, and used my husband’s name out of habit. I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me. I’m not a stalker or anything. Please, I’m begging you.”
“Well,” the woman said, drawing the word out, “Mags is a private person. She don’t let many folks get close to her and she will probably whoop my ass for telling you anything.”
Beth had feared such a response and hung her head.
“But, it so happens I’m a friend of Mags’ and no one this side of the Mississippi knows what the ‘C’ in her name stands for ‘cept me,” she continued. Beth looked up quickly to see the big woman smiling.
“And now you. I’d like to help you missy, I really would, but before I invite the wrath of God I need to know something.”
“Yes?”
“Are you just interested in seeing an old friend, or is there something more?”
“There was a lot left unsaid when we last saw one another,” Beth said.
“All right girlie, I won’t press, your blush says enough,” the woman said with a crooked smile. She pulled a waitress’s note pad from behind the counter and jotted down some directions. She tore the page off and handed it to Beth.
“Do you think she will be home?” Beth asked as she read the directions.
“Hard to say. She used to be pretty wild, you know out ‘till dawn, raising hell. Lately she’s slowed down some, stays home more. She, Uh… Hell,” the big woman said.
“What?” Beth asked.
“Well, she had a bad break up not too long ago. She hasn’t gotten back into the swing of things. Part of the reason I was willing to give you her address is because a visit from an old friend might be just the thing to pick her up.”
“I hope so, but it’s been over twenty years. She may not even remember me,” Beth said.
The woman looked hard at Beth, arched an eyebrow, and then smiled when Beth blushed.
“Trust me honey, she’ll remember,” the big woman said as someone called her name from the back.
“How can you be sure?” Beth asked as the woman turned and answered the call from the kitchen.
“A woman doesn’t forget a dish like you girlie,” she called over her shoulder as she disappeared through the swinging doors.
***
The building was a three story apartment with a stucco façade. It had a vaguely Spanish flair, or at least it reminded her of buildings she had seen on their vacation to Acapulco. The directions said third floor, but there was a grill across the entrance way. Beth hesitated and then tried it. She was surprised when it gave beneath her touch and swung open on squeaky hinges.
On the third floor landing her courage almost failed her, but the name Margaret C. Chambliss, neatly stenciled on the mailbox was enough to calm her nerves. She hesitated only a fraction of a second, then took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She was reaching to knock again when the door opened and Margaret stood in front of her. Beth swallowed hard and struggled to find her voice.
“Hello Bets,” the tall woman said softly.
“Chauncy?”
“Who else?” The tall woman said with an enigmatic grin. She still wore the bikini top and shorts, but was now barefoot.
“Well, don’t stand out there all night, come on in,” Chauncy said after a long silence in which Beth couldn’t find her voice. Beth followed her into the apartment. The living room was just off the foyer. It had one wall that was just floor to ceiling glass and the lights that twinkled in the darkness made Beth believe the view must be spectacular. The furniture was heavy, solid wood. The floor was covered in deep shag carpeting, and the walls were a pleasant, if bland, beige. The kitchen opened off the living room, with a bar acting as divider. On the other wall there was a fireplace, with gold paraphernalia, including a screen and tool tree.
“Have a seat,” Chuncy said, indicating the sofa with a sweep of her hand. “Wine do for you? Or something harder?”
“Wine would be fine,” Beth said automatically as she took a seat on the sofa. She barely noticed Chauncy disappearing into the kitchen. On the coffee table was a copy of The Herald. She picked it up and thumbed quickly through it, this one was her freshman year. She put it back down and tried to calm her nerves. This should be a wonderful reunion and instead she was as nervous as she had been on her first date.
“So when did you realize it was me?” Chauncy asked as she walked back into the living room with a bottle of wine and opener.
Rather than answer, Beth just picked up the old yearbook and smiled. Chauncy smiled too and poured a glass of wine before filling her own and putting the bottle on the end table.
“When did you stop going by Beth?” The redhead asked as she sat and offered Beth her glass.
“Long story,” Beth said, accepting her glass.
“We have time,” Chancy said with slight grin.
“Well, I ended up marrying John. I guess that’s not a surprise?”
“Mom sent me the paper.”
“We did all right. No kids, nice house, two cars, vacation in Nassau every winter. John was doing well with his company and I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention or maybe I just didn’t want to see.”
“See what?”
“That we were spending way more than he was making. Living well beyond our means,” she said taking a sip of wine.
“Embezzeling?”
“Yes and worse, it was quite a shock when the FBI showed up on the door step. They were polite, but took everything that wasn’t nailed down. Had all kinds of warrants, including one for my arrest.”
“Your arrest?” Chauncy exclaimed incredulously.
“Oh yes. I let John handle everything, so when he asked me to sign some papers I didn’t think twice. Turns out he put a lot of our assets in my name to hide them. In fact, almost everything was in my name including the boat and apartment in Miami that I knew nothing about. It took two months and a good lawyer to finally convince the feds I was just an innocent twit. Even then, I only got out of it by turning state’s evidence against John and his partners in crime.”
“You testified against him?”
“Without a second thought,” Beth declared. Chauncy seemed to be looking at her with new eyes or perhaps with more respect.
“We hadn’t been more than acquaintances who shared the same house for several years and he set me up to take the fall. My lawyer got me a good deal from the state. Easy divorce, all of our assets they couldn’t prove were stolen and a new start. I started using Elza after the trial to make sure I was able to put everything behind me. John is serving a twenty-five year sentence, but some of his partners got off light and I received a few death threats. Apparently he was mixed up in more than embezzling. The boat and apartment were part of a drug operation.”
“That’s awful.”
“It was at first,” Beth replied, but she hesitated before she continued. She searched her mind for the right words.
“In some ways it was a blessing. I was dying a slow death but was afraid to leave. We hadn’t been intimate in a very long time, but things were comfortable and I just didn’t have it in me to start over on my own again.”
“I guess I can see that,” Chauncy said as she took a sip of wine.
“How bout you? Chambliss? I never imagined you would be getting married.”
“Married, a kid, stay at home mom, hell on earth,” she said with a derisive snort.
When Beth said nothing and it became obvious she was waiting for more Chauncy killed her glass of wine in one swallow.
“I did good in the City. People didn’t care I was gay. Hell, it was dyke heaven. I had a different girl in my bed every night. But it got old, ya know? I got tired of the games and being a player. I wanted something more stable. Sounds ridiculous now, but at that time I really felt like it was what I wanted. I told all my friends I was done with the lifestyle, got a job with a temp company, a feminine wardrobe and was married to a stock broker inside of three months.”
“That fast?”
“I said I wasn’t thinking straight,” she said with a scowl, then her expression softened.
“Things haven’t changed Bets. I still can’t stay mad at you,” she said with a self mocking smile.
“So anyway. I hated the sex, but tried to convince myself I loved it. I was pregnant within two months of the honeymoon. Can you imagine it? Me? Fat as a hippo, craving salt and sugar, crying then laughing for no goddamned reason? I realized long before I delivered that I had made a huge mistake. By the time Lane was born I was depressed and felt trapped. Then came full blown post-partum depression. I tried to kill myself.”
Beth said nothing, but scooted closer to Chauncy and put a hand on her shoulder.
“I was in crisis for three months. I lasted about two at home after they discharged me before I emptied our savings, loaded up in the ‘vette with three cartons of cigs, half a key of weed, some coke and a case of Cuervo Gold.”
“You ran out on them?” Beth asked.
“Yeah. I’m not proud of it, but I ran. Came out here and shacked up with one of my brother’s friends. She got me into diving and before long I had my dive master certification. Started working as an instructor to support myself. I fell in love with it, but I hated working for someone else so I opened my own shop. For the last three years I’ve been doing really well with it, opened my second shop down in San Diego last month as a matter of fact.”
“And your child?”
“Life’s funny, ya know? David was absolutely fabulous. When I finally called him he admitted to being uneasy too. We had both rushed into it, for different reasons, but he was happy to put an end to it. We got an amiable divorce and although he’s remarried we still talk occasionally. He never tired to keep Lane from me. She comes out every spring break. Brings her girl friends and they eat me out of house and home, get tans, and oh and ahh over the surfer dudes. She’s thinking about Cal Berkely and David and I can afford it, if she decides to. I’m hopeful. I’d like to get to know her better.”
A long silence followed. Eventually Chauncy looked up and smiled.
“So why did things go wrong with you and John? Everyone figured you two were meant for each other. I mean, before the embezzlement.”
Beth looked down at the floor. Life was full of opportunities, but so stingy with second chances, she thought. She bit her bottom lip, then looked up and began before her courage abandoned her.
“Have you ever sat down and looked at your life? Stared at the decisions you have made and imagined where you would be, what life might be like, if you had just done something differently?”
“Sure, who hasn’t?” Chancy replied, giving Beth a quizzical look.
“I used to do that a lot. One choice I made in particular haunted me. I guess the regret turned to resentment at some point, and resentment faded to indifference. It wasn’t anything John did. It was all me.”
“What decision was so important?” Chauncy asked.
“On my sweet sixteen, when you told me you were leaving.”
“I’m sorry about that, Bets,” Chauncy interrupted. “I should have let you say something. I was…upset about some things and it wasn’t until I was halfway to New York that I realized how unfair I’d been to you.” “I didn’t regret not speaking,” Beth said hesitantly. She looked down at her feet, licked her lips then looked back up.
“What I have bitterly regretted is not climbing into the car and making you take me with you,” Beth said in a near whisper.
Chauncy’s head came up and her eyes locked with Beth’s. The small woman was shaking, but she refused to look away. So much more than words passed between them. Beth never could remember Chauncy embracing her, but she would never forget the kiss.
Chauncy was hesitant at first, her thin lips barely brushing Beth’s full ones. Her eyes searched Beth’s, seemingly waiting for some sign. Beth would never know what the tall redhead saw in her eyes, but suddenly her arms crushed Beth to her hard body and her tongue probed at Beth’s lips. Beth felt like she would explode. A first kiss, twenty odd years in the making, and infinitely better than she had ever imagined.
Beth hugged Chauncy back fiercely and parted her lips, accepting the redhead’s long tongue. Beth could feel it gently probing, searching out every corner of her mouth. She sucked eagerly, caressing Chauncy’s tongue with her own. Their passion escalated quickly as their tongues battled, pushing and sliding against each other as they each tried to appease so many years of wanting with a single kiss.
Chauncy moved suddenly, twisting Beth’s body and drawing Beth down into her lap without breaking the kiss. The passionate investigation of each other’s mouth slowly gave way to a more languid and unhurried exploration. Beth was lying on her back, with her head in Chauncy’s lap and her legs still on the floor. Her hands were free, but she couldn’t seem to decide what to do with them. Chauncy’s hands cradled her face in a way both firm and tender. Beth felt her nipples stiffen and the familiar rush of blood to her pussy that sent tingles down her spine.
Sex with another woman wasn’t new or alien to her. She had taken several lovers during the long months John was away, but this was wholly new. A feeling of excitement and tension swept through her, hearkening back to the back seat of his car at the drive-in. It was a feeling she had never experienced with a woman. And now that she was experiencing it with the right woman, she realized it bore no more resemblance to the furtive groping in the backseat of John’s car than a firecracker did to an atomic bomb. The rush of pure desire and longing was both exhilarating and profound. If anything in her life had ever felt right, it was this kiss.
Chauncy broke the kiss, but still held Beth’s head in her hands. She gently kissed her cheeks, eyelids, nose and chin, before nipping her lower lip and starting another long, deep kiss. Beth felt a thrill pass through her when the tall woman’s hands slipped from her face, down her neck and to her shoulders. She arched her back in anticipation of those hands caressing her aching breasts, but Chauncy’s hands moved instead down her arms. Passing the edges of her short sleeves, Beth gasped at the contact of Chauncy’s hands on her bare arms. Chauncy’s hands slid down her arms, with feather soft contact and then came back up, dragging her short nails along Beth’s skin and raising goose pimples.
Chauncy unexpectedly broke the kiss and sat back, her hand now toying with a lock of Beth’s long black hair.
“Do you remember when we first met?” She asked in a hushed voice.
“Yes, of course I do, why?” Beth asked as she pulled her feet up onto the sofa and wiggled her shoulders until she was comfortable.
“Just wondering. I’ve been in love with you since as far back as I can remember. I’ve been in lust with you since I hit puberty. Through all the years and all the lovers, I’ve never forgotten you. I can still see you peeping out from behind your brother’s back.”
Beth didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure how, but she somehow knew that now wasn’t the time to speak. Something in Chauncy’s voice was different, almost like it was coming to her across vast gulfs of time and space, rather than here and now.
“I used to watch you at baseball games. I always had this dream of striking out the last batter and having you run out and jump into my arms. It’s so odd to think of it now, but you were going to be my girl. And you would come with me to the movies or the fish house, and hold my hand, just like my brother’s girlfriends did with him. Everything was so innocent back then, when you didn’t have any idea of what went on behind closed doors or in the back seats of cars at the drive-in.”
“I only came to see you play,” Beth said.
“Really?”
“Yes. You were my hero. Even more so after you beat those guys up at the bus stop.”
“It was all so simple back then. Life sure threw me a curve after that. I was so proud of myself. Told my mom about how you were going to be my girl.”
“Really?” Beth asked, surprised at how the conversation was going.
“Oh yeah. She read me the riot act and gave me the birds and the bees speech all in one.”
“Oh God, that must have been awkward. It was horrible with my mom and I had never even mentioned liking girls.”
Chauncy laughed and kissed the tip of Beth’s nose before sitting back again.
“I think mom always felt like she failed me somehow. We had enough go rounds over it before I split.”
“Did you ever work it out? I was already in Florida when she passed away and couldn’t make it back for her funeral.”
“No, we never really worked it out. Dad disowned me, so it made talking hard while he was around. After he passed away, Mom and I sort of got back together, but my sexuality was always an issue that we avoided. Rich was the only one who never seemed to give a damn one way or the other. He lives out here now. In fact, he’s managing the San Diego shop for me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ve had enough of people being sorry over it. My teachers were sorry, the preacher, just about everyone. Dad was sorry he’d raised a dyke. Mom was sorry she’d let me down. I swear you were about the only one who wasn’t sorry.”
“I never knew.”
“Oh, come on. You had to know. Everyone in school knew.”
“No, I never did. You were just you, the same girl I had idolized since I was a kid. I never heard the rumors. I was really sheltered.”
Chauncy leaned over. Her green eyes were a strange shade and seemed to glitter like a cat’s, with an incredibly earnest expression on her face.
“If you didn’t know, how can you say you regret not asking me to take you with me?”
Beth laughed out loud, struggling to contain her mirth as Chauncy cocked her head and gave her a quizzical stare.
“Just because I didn’t know you liked to eat pussy doesn’t mean I didn’t have my own little girl fantasies too. I was still a virgin when you left. I didn’t realize I was gay as early as you did, but I swear, if you had ever asked I would have jumped at the chance to be your girl.”
For a long moment, they just stared at one another.
“You know as well as I do that wouldn’t have worked out. I was far to naïve to understand what it would entail, the kind of persecution it would bring. I would have folded under the pressure in no time. It wasn’t a good time or place to be gay.”
“And now?”
“It’s been a long, twisting road, but if you really want to know…I’d jump at the chance to be your girl just as quickly now as I would have back then.”
“Even though you know it means eating pussy?” Chauncy asked with an impish grin.
“Especially because I know,” Beth replied with a barely suppressed giggle. Chauncy’s face became serious once again.
“Are you sure Bets? I’ve had crappy luck with relationships and I don’t want to risk a fall out with you. I cherish the memories too much to risk ruining them.”
“I’m sure.”
“It’s been twenty years. You don’t even know me for Christ’s sake. How can you be sure?”
“I fell in love with you a long time ago, and I have never fallen out. My head is making the same arguments yours is, but my heart knows different. I’m going to do now, what I should have done then. I’m going to follow my heart.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you don’t. But I won’t spend the next twenty years regretting something I didn’t do.”
“Ouch.”
Chauncy eased Beth’s head out of her lap and stood up. She grabbed the wine bottle and took a deep swallow before walking to the window and staring out at the lights. Beth sat up and stared at her back for a while. This was not at all what she had expected. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but this wasn’t it. That kiss. Now that was more along the lines of what she had expected, or at least hoped for.
She growled in her throat. A girl could drive herself crazy with this line of thinking, she mused. She looked again at Chauncy’s back. The long legs, tight ass, trim waist, muscular arms, and elegant neck.
“Fuck it,” she said aloud. She stood and moved quietly behind Chauncy, slipping her hands around the tall woman’s waist. The tall woman seemed to be graven in stone, she gave no indication that she even knew Beth was there. It was almost enough to daunt her, but Beth screwed up her courage. She wasn’t a bold woman, nor was she forward, but tonight, she wouldn’t let anything stop her from seizing that second chance fate seemed so loath to render up.
Beth’s normally soft face was set as her hands found the buttons to the shorts and began to work on them.
“What the fuck?” Chauncy exclaimed but did nothing to stop her.
“This isn’t going to end in silence this time. You can tell me to stop. You can tell me to go. But you aren’t driving off into the sunset on me again,” Beth said as her hands defeated the last button. She pushed her hands into the open fly and cupped Chauncy’s mound through her panties. Her fingers began to gently massage and Chauncy moaned softly.
Beth’s fingers found the taller woman’s slit and pressed the silky material inward, until she felt Chauncy’s lips part. She pressed her body against Chauncy’s back and increased the tempo of her stroking. In no time she felt the tall woman’s hips begin to buck, rotating against her pelvis. Beth was beside herself and bit the tall woman’s shoulder.
Chauncy cried out, her hips flailing madly. She dropped the bottle of wine, which shattered on the marble entranceway and pressed both hands against the glass to hold herself up. Beth continued the ministrations, long after the aftershocks had ceased to rock the taller woman’s lithe frame.
Chauncy eventually pushed off the glass, making Beth stumble back a few steps. The redhead turned and faced Beth. Her cheeks were flushed and her nipples were clearly visible through her top. The shorts had fallen, but were still around her left foot. The look in her eyes sent a shiver through Beth. Neither cool, nor aloof, they were wild, as wild as that night when she drove off without saying a word.
Three quick steps, then her body dipped and her shoulder butted Beth’s hip. Before the small woman could respond Chauncy drove upward, lifting Beth off her feet while bending her over the redhead’s shoulder. The world was upside down, but Beth had precious little time to make heads or tails of it as Chauncy strode down the hallway, kicked open the door and tossed her onto a king-sized bed.
Chauncy said nothing as she grabbed Beth’s foot and tore her shoe off, tossing it away as she grabbed the other. Beth unbuttoned her jeans, raised her hips and Chauncy pulled them down her legs, tossing them on the floor. Beth was a little anxious now. Chauncy’s stony silence was intimidating enough, but showing off her body was even more daunting. She wasn’t sixteen any more and while she had stayed in reasonably good shape, she wouldn’t be confused for a supermodel. She didn’t really have time to worry. Chauncy grabbed a handful of material and literally ripped her panties off.
Beth was too shocked to protest, and by the time she found her voice Chauncy had thrown herself onto the bed between Beth’s thighs and was peeling apart her outer lips.
“Fuck,” she gasped as the redhead’s tongue began to lap at her clitoral hood. Before she could even assimilate the electric shocks that soft tongue was sending into her system, Chauncy introduced a stiffened finger into her pussy.
Chauncy wasted little time, only going slow till her finger was coated in Beth’s juices before beginning a driving rhythm. Beth groaned and tried to squeeze her thighs together, but Chauncy was having none of that. She pushed her body forward, using a shoulder to carry Beth’s left leg up and back.
Beth was caught at the center of a maelstrom. Chauncy’s tongue was incredibly long and agile, laving her now exposed clit and sending liquid fire into her veins. The finger driving into her sent its own jagged bolts of pleasure, which increased ten-fold when her inner muscles began to clamp down on it. This was rawer and more intense than any sex she had ever had. Totally at odds with the soft, loving sex she had always imagined with Chauncy. She wanted to slow things down, or at least gain a moment to gather her thoughts, but her body was being carried along by Chauncy’s expert manipulation of her pussy and Beth couldn’t control herself.
She arched her back and a ragged moan escaped her lips as Chauncy added a second finger. Chauncy sucked Beth’s clit into her mouth, cushioned it with her lips as she held it between her teeth, and then ravaged the little nub of flesh with the tip of her tongue.
Beth felt a shock of pure bliss, a massive contraction within her pussy and then pulses of pleasure so outrageously thick and heady she screamed. Her hands clutched at the comforter, pulling it up until it was bunched beneath her hands. Her back arched, until only her ass and shoulder blades were touching the bed as another blast of pleasure tore at her. Beth crashed to the bed and was jerked back up as a final wave of euphoria carried her consciousness away.
“Wha?” Beth moaned.
Chauncy kissed her gently on the lips and silenced her questions. The room was dark, but candles burned and soft music was playing. She remembered it all with sudden clarity, as Chauncy’s tongue darted into her mouth and brushed her palate. Beth relaxed, her arms sliding under her lover’s arms and locking at her back. When the kiss broke, she knew she was flushed and her breathing was heavier than normal.
“What brought that on?” She asked.
“I’ve always had a thing for girls who go after what they want,” Chauncy said with a grin.
“Well, you were no help.”
“I’m sorry Bets, but I had to know you wanted it. I’ve been dreaming about sex with you since I was old enough to know what sex was. You have to admit, it’s quite a bit to swallow from my perspective. I haven’t seen you in twenty years, and then you show up out of the blue and want to screw? Can you really blame me for thinking I might have finally gone off the deep end?”
“Well you haven’t. I’m here and I definitely want to screw, if that helps.”
Chauncy grinned even more and rose up on her arms. Beth could see the harness and dildo dangling between their bodies. She laughed again, and this time Chauncy laughed with her. Even the laugh hadn’t changed, nor had the wild look in her eyes. Only the cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth was missing.
“Do you still smoke?” Beth asked. Chauncy seemed surprised by the question.
“No. It’s not good with diving, why?”
“Just wondered.”
“This is so fucked up,” Chauncy said, as her eyes roamed over Beth’s body. She lowered herself to her elbows and began undoing the buttons of Beth’s blouse.
“What’s fucked up?”
“You. Me. This. I’m lying her between a fine woman’s legs and we’re discussing my nic habit. I’m bouncing back and forth between insanely horny and tear jerkingly nostalgic. I can’t decide if I’d rather fuck you silly or hold you in my arms and make you tell me all about the time we’ve missed. Crazy.”
Beth reached between their bodies, caught the head of the flesh colored dildo and guided it to her entrance.
“We’ve got forever to catch up,” she said softly.
“Yeah. I wasn’t suggesting we stop, just saying it’s fucked up.” Chauncy spread her legs slightly and positioned her ass so her body weight was behind the dildo. Beth felt the fat head nosing into her body, pushing aside tissue and filling her. Chauncy’s weight settled on her and she was still for a moment, then pulled it out and shoved it back in. Beth bit her lower lip and dug her fingers into her lover’s arms. Chauncy was driving the cock into her from different angles, and rolling her hips on each down thrust. The rhythm was slow, but the amount of power she could deliver with each thrust pushed the air from Beth’s lungs.
Beth began to moan, pushing up with her hips to meet each driving lunge. Sparks were going off in her head, confusing her thoughts and warping her perception. The dark room twisted into the top of a car. A much younger Chauncy was staring down at her, green eyes smoldering. Beth felt the blood rush to her center, the twinge in her lower back that always presaged an orgasm.
It came with breathtaking swiftness, catching her mid-thought and blasting her mind with the most powerful burst. Beth’s legs locked at the small of Chauncy’s back, her fingers dug into the bronzed skin until they drew blood, and she screamed. Her body writhed, her head tossed from side to side and her breath came in shuddering gasps. Another orgasm came hard on the heels of the first, mingling with it and overlapping it. Ripples of pleasure in a flood.
Chauncy only increased her pace, driving the slick toy into Beth with barely contained fury. Beth screamed again and in a Herculean effort, rolled over ending up astride her lover. Her hips were flying, keeping up the intensely pleasurable friction. Beth was only barely aware of Chauncy pulling her bra cups down below her breasts. Her eyes rolled back in her head as another orgasm ripped through her. The jagged bolts of pleasure coming from her nipples as Chauncy pinched and pulled them were but drops of rain in a storm. Her back arched suddenly and she bit down on her lip hard enough to taste blood.
Beth felt like a marionette, twitching and jerking as mind numbing waves of bliss shot through her. When the violence of them subsided, she collapsed on Chauncy’s chest panting. The redhead’s hands stroked her back gently and she whispered endearments that Beth couldn’t understand. Her voice was enough. It was soothing and slowly she began to recover the use of her facilities. Chauncy eased Beth off her body and removed her harness with shaking fingers. She crawled back onto the damp sheets and curled up, holding the frail woman in her arms until sleep overcame them both.
***
Beth awoke to light streaming in an open window. She was in a bed, but it took a few moments for the night’s events to come back to her. A long arm was draped over her hip. Beth looked at it, seeing the network of fine red hairs and the dusting of freckles, despite the deep tan.
Beth’s body remained still, but her mind was running at breakneck pace. She saw a myriad of scenes from her life, not in motion, but frozen, like frames in a movie when it was paused. Thoughts came with the scenes, but in a strange disjointed way. The stream of thoughts seemed to be moving independently of the memories. For a long while she passively enjoyed the show. Yesterday, this slide show would have been depressing, but now, it was complete, the scenes were no longer tinged with regret.
After waiting so long, she had finally been given what her heart desired. The sex had been as incredible as she had hoped, but there was so much more to it than the physical. There had been emotional connection. Comfort, well outside the bounds usually found between first time lovers. This had been worth the wait and then some. Her body was sore, but it was also primed for more, she couldn’t remember waking up so fulfilled and at the same time ready for more.
“Morning,” Chauncy whispered in her ear, before taking the lobe between her teeth and grazing her tongue over the sensitive skin.
“Morning,” Beth sighed, snuggling back against Chauncy’s hard body.
“How do you feel?”
How did she feel? Tired? Sated? Lethargic? She struggled for a word that would say it all, aware no word had that power even as she did so.
“Whole,” she said at last. Happy with the way it sounded, even if it couldn’t say it all.
“I love you Bets. Crazy as that sounds, I love you.”
“Crazy, is a good place to be,” she replied before rolling over and kissing Chauncy.
Later, as she lay in bed while Chauncy showered she pondered life, love and circumstance. It was a long way from Savannah, a long way from her sweet sixteen. They say opportunity only knocks once. It was a good cliché, she thought. They also say love conquers all. Through twenty years and thousands of miles, it had remained, steady, solid, sure of its cause.
“I like that one much better,” she said softly, as the door to the bathroom opened and her heart leaped to her throat as she beheld her beloved again.
-Finis